U.S. patent application number 15/705692 was filed with the patent office on 2019-03-21 for agricultural header with constant reel to cutter relationship.
This patent application is currently assigned to CNH Industrial America LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is CNH Industrial America LLC. Invention is credited to Herbert M. Farley, Benjamin D. Kemmerer.
Application Number | 20190082603 15/705692 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63858040 |
Filed Date | 2019-03-21 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190082603 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Farley; Herbert M. ; et
al. |
March 21, 2019 |
AGRICULTURAL HEADER WITH CONSTANT REEL TO CUTTER RELATIONSHIP
Abstract
A header for an agricultural vehicle includes: a header frame; a
flexible cutter supported by the header frame and including a
plurality of cutting edges; a reel including a plurality of reel
sections movably supported by the header frame, each of the reel
sections including a plurality of tines and being independently
movable from the other reel sections; and at least one rigid link
connecting the flexible cutter to one of the reel sections, the at
least one rigid link being configured to transmit flexing forces
acting on the flexible cutter to the connected one reel section
such that a substantially constant separation is maintained between
the flexible cutter and the connected one reel section.
Inventors: |
Farley; Herbert M.;
(Elizabethtown, PA) ; Kemmerer; Benjamin D.; (New
Holland, PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CNH Industrial America LLC |
New Holland |
PA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
CNH Industrial America LLC
New Holland
PA
|
Family ID: |
63858040 |
Appl. No.: |
15/705692 |
Filed: |
September 15, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01D 57/04 20130101;
A01D 61/004 20130101; A01D 41/14 20130101; A01D 61/02 20130101;
A01D 34/04 20130101; A01D 61/008 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A01D 61/00 20060101
A01D061/00; A01D 34/04 20060101 A01D034/04; A01D 61/02 20060101
A01D061/02 |
Claims
1. A header for an agricultural vehicle, comprising: a header
frame; a flexible cutter supported by said header frame and
including a plurality of cutting edges; a reel including a
plurality of reel sections movably supported by said header frame,
each of said reel sections including a plurality of tines and being
independently movable from the other reel sections; and at least
one rigid link connecting said flexible cutter to one of said reel
sections, said at least one rigid link being configured to transmit
flexing forces acting on said flexible cutter to said connected one
reel section such that a substantially constant separation is
maintained between said flexible cutter and said connected one reel
section.
2. The header of claim 1, wherein said at least one rigid link is
pivotably coupled to said header frame.
3. The header of claim 2, further comprising a draper belt
supported by said header frame rearwardly of said flexible cutter,
said at least one rigid link defining a pivot axis located
rearwardly of said draper belt.
4. The header of claim 1, wherein said header is configured as a
draper header or an auger-type header.
5. The header of claim 1, wherein said at least one rigid link
comprises a plurality of rigid links, each of said rigid links
connecting said flexible cutter to a respective one of said reel
sections.
6. The header of claim 5, wherein said plurality of reel sections
comprises a first reel section having a first reel width and a
second reel section adjacent to said first reel section, said
plurality of rigid links including a first rigid link connecting
said first reel section to said flexible cutter and a second rigid
link connecting said second reel section to said flexible cutter,
said first rigid link and said second rigid link defining a link
separation distance therebetween which is at least equal to said
first reel width.
7. The header of claim 1, wherein said at least one rigid link
includes a reel arm portion connected to said connected one reel
section and a cutter arm portion connected to said flexible cutter
and said reel arm portion.
8. The header of claim 7, wherein said at least one rigid link
includes a connecting portion connecting said reel arm portion to
said cutter arm portion, said connecting portion having a curved
shape.
9. The header of claim 8, wherein at least one of said reel arm
portion and said cutter arm potion has a straight shape.
10. The header of claim 1, wherein said at least one rigid link is
formed as a unitary body.
11. An agricultural vehicle, comprising: a chassis; and a header
carried by said chassis, said header including: a header frame; a
flexible cutter supported by said header frame and including a
plurality of cutting edges; a reel including a plurality of reel
sections movably supported by said header frame, each of said reel
sections including a plurality of tines and being independently
movable from the other reel sections; and at least one rigid link
connecting said flexible cutter to one of said reel sections, said
at least one rigid link being configured to transmit flexing forces
acting on said flexible cutter to said connected one reel section
such that a substantially constant separation is maintained between
said flexible cutter and said connected one reel section.
12. The agricultural vehicle of claim 11, wherein said at least one
rigid link is pivotably coupled to said header frame.
13. The agricultural vehicle of claim 12, further comprising a
draper belt supported by said header frame rearwardly of said
flexible cutter, said at least one rigid link defining a pivot axis
located rearwardly of said draper belt.
14. The header of claim 11, wherein said header is configured as a
draper header or an auger-type header.
15. The agricultural vehicle of claim 11, wherein said at least one
rigid link comprises a plurality of rigid links, each of said rigid
links connecting said flexible cutter to a respective one of said
reel sections.
16. The agricultural vehicle of claim 15, wherein said plurality of
reel sections comprises a first reel section having a first reel
width and a second reel section adjacent to said first reel
section, said plurality of rigid links including a first rigid link
connecting said first reel section to said flexible cutter and a
second rigid link connecting said second reel section to said
flexible cutter, said first rigid link and said second rigid link
defining a link separation distance therebetween which is at least
equal to said first reel width.
17. The agricultural vehicle of claim 11, wherein said at least one
rigid link includes a reel arm portion connected to said connected
one reel section and a cutter arm portion connected to said
flexible cutter and said reel arm portion.
18. The agricultural vehicle of claim 17, wherein said at least one
rigid link includes a connecting portion connecting said reel arm
portion to said cutter arm portion, said connecting portion having
a curved shape.
19. The agricultural vehicle of claim 18, wherein at least one of
said reel arm portion and said cutter arm potion has a straight
shape.
20. The agricultural vehicle of claim 11, wherein said at least one
rigid link is formed as a unitary body.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention pertains to an agricultural vehicle
and, more specifically, to a header for an agricultural vehicle
which includes both a reel and a cutter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] An agricultural harvester known as a "combine" is
historically termed such because it combines multiple harvesting
functions with a single harvesting unit, such as picking,
threshing, separating and cleaning. A combine includes a header
which removes the crop from a field, and a feeder housing which
transports the crop matter into a threshing rotor. The threshing
rotor rotates within a perforated housing, which may be in the form
of adjustable concaves and performs a threshing operation on the
crop to remove the grain. Once the grain is threshed it falls
through perforations in the concaves onto a grain pan. From the
grain pan the grain is cleaned using a cleaning system, and is then
transported to a grain tank onboard the combine. A cleaning fan
blows air through the sieves to discharge chaff and other debris
toward the rear of the combine. Non-grain crop material such as
straw from the threshing section proceeds through a residue system,
which may utilize a straw chopper to process the non-grain material
and direct it out the rear of the combine. When the grain tank
becomes full, the combine is positioned adjacent a vehicle into
which the grain is to be unloaded, such as a semi-trailer, gravity
box, straight truck, or the like; and an unloading system on the
combine is actuated to transfer the grain into the vehicle.
[0003] To remove crop material from the field, the header of the
combine harvester may be equipped with a cutter, such as a cutter
bar assembly, having many sharp cutting elements that reciprocate
sidewardly, relative to a forward direction of travel, to sever the
crop material from the field before entering the feeder housing.
The header may also include a rotating reel with tines or the like
to sweep crop material toward the cutting elements.
[0004] To better follow the ground during harvesting, many headers
include a flexible cutter bar assembly which can flex during travel
of the vehicle to more closely follow the contour of the ground
when, for example, the vehicle encounters uneven terrain. To flex,
the cutter bar assembly may include one or more flexible segments
which carry the cutting elements and are connected to arms which
can move up and down responsively to forces from the ground, which
causes flexing of the flexible segments and vertical movement of
the carried cutting elements.
[0005] One particular problem encountered by headers including
flexible cutter bar assemblies arises due to the movable nature of
the cutting elements in relation to the tines of the reel. In many
configurations, the cutting elements have the ability to flex a
significant distance, such as 3 inches, vertically toward the reel
tines; the top position where the cutter bar is able to flex can be
referred to as the top of the "flex range" of the cutter bar. To
avoid the tines being clipped off by the cutting elements when the
cutter bar reaches the top of the flex range, the tines must be
kept, at least, above the top of the flex range. In order to keep
the tines above the top of the flex range so the tines do not get
clipped off by the reel during maximum flexure, the reel may be
positioned so that the lowest position of the tines is above the
top of the flex range as the vehicle is harvesting. In such a
configuration, reel performance may be poor due to the distance
between the tines and the cutting elements being too large to
efficiently move crops toward the cutting elements when the cutter
bar is at its normal operating position, e.g., 3 inches below the
top of the flex range. To improve reel performance, some headers
are equipped with reels that can move up and down responsively to
flexure of the cutter bar. One particular problem with such known
configurations is that there can be a delay between the cutter bar
flexing and the reel moving, which risks some of the tines being
clipped off by the cutting elements, and the constructions may be
complex.
[0006] What is needed in the art is a header which can overcome
some of the previously described disadvantages of known
headers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In one exemplary embodiment formed in accordance with the
present invention, there is provided a rigid link which connects to
one reel section of a multi-section reel and a flexible cutter so
flexing forces acting on the flexible cutter transmit to the
connected reel section such that a substantially constant
separation is maintained between the flexible cutter and connected
reel section.
[0008] In another exemplary embodiment formed in accordance with
the present invention, there is provided a header for an
agricultural vehicle including: a header frame; a flexible cutter
supported by the header frame and including a plurality of cutting
edges; a reel including a plurality of reel sections movably
supported by the header frame, each of the reel sections including
a plurality of tines and being independently movable from the other
reel sections; and at least one rigid link connecting the flexible
cutter to one of the reel sections, the at least one rigid link
being configured to transmit flexing forces acting on the flexible
cutter to the connected one reel section such that a substantially
constant separation is maintained between the flexible cutter and
the connected one reel section.
[0009] In yet another exemplary embodiment formed in accordance
with the present invention, there is provided an agricultural
vehicle including a chassis and a header carried by the chassis.
The header includes: a header frame; a flexible cutter supported by
the header frame and including a plurality of cutting edges; a reel
including a plurality of reel sections movably supported by the
header frame, each of the reel sections including a plurality of
tines and being independently movable from the other reel sections;
and at least one rigid link connecting the flexible cutter to one
of the reel sections, the at least one rigid link being configured
to transmit flexing forces acting on the flexible cutter to the
connected one reel section such that a substantially constant
separation is maintained between the flexible cutter and the
connected one reel section.
[0010] One possible advantage of exemplary embodiments provided in
accordance with the present invention is the rigid link can
maintain a substantially constant separation between the flexible
cutter and the connected one reel section reactively to flexing
forces acting on the flexible cutter with little, if any,
delay.
[0011] Another possible advantage of exemplary embodiments provided
in accordance with the present invention is maintaining the
substantially constant separation can improve feeding and the
ability to pick up lodged crop.
[0012] Yet another possible advantage of exemplary embodiments
provided in accordance with the present invention is only the reel
section adjacent to a portion of the flexible cutter which is
flexing may move responsively to the flexing, rather than an
entirety of the reel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] For the purpose of illustration, there are shown in the
drawings certain embodiments of the present invention. It should be
understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the
precise arrangements, dimensions, and instruments shown. Like
numerals indicate like elements throughout the drawings. In the
drawings:
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of
an agricultural vehicle, the agricultural vehicle comprising a
chassis and a header, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates a rigid link and a single reel section of
the header of FIG. 1 when a cutter of the header is in a normal,
unflexed state, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates a rigid link and a single reel section of
the header of FIG. 2 when the cutter of the header is in a flexed
state, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG.
1, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of an agricultural
vehicle 10 in the form of a combine harvester which generally
includes a chassis 12, a feeder housing 14, and an attachment in
the form of a header 100. Typically, the combine harvester 10 will
include additional internal systems for the separation and handling
of collected crop material, but these additional systems are
omitted from view for brevity of description. It should be
appreciated that the header 100 described and illustrated herein
does not necessarily need to be included on combine harvesters, but
can be incorporated in other agricultural vehicles such as
windrowers. Further, while the exemplary embodiment of the header
100 is shown and described as a draper header, it should be
appreciated that the header can be formed, in some exemplary
embodiments, as an auger-type header incorporating one or more
augers as the crop material conveyor(s).
[0018] The header 100 is coupled to the feeder housing 14 and
supported by the chassis 12 of the agricultural vehicle 10. The
header 100 has a header frame 102 and a pair of opposed lateral
ends 104, 106. The header frame 102 supports one or more flexible
cutters 108, shown as a cutter bar, with reciprocating cutting
edges 110 to cut crop material as the agricultural vehicle 10
travels in a forward direction, denoted by arrow F. The header 100
may further include a center feed belt 112 or a center auger that
conveys the crop material into the feeder housing 14. In one
exemplary embodiment, the header 100 can include one or more
lateral, flexible draper belts 140 that are positioned rearwardly
of the cutter bar(s) 108 and travel, i.e. rotate, in opposing
directions of travel, denoted by each arrow "T", in order to convey
the crop material inwardly to the center feed belt 112 and thereby
the feeder housing 14. In some exemplary embodiments, the header
100 may include a pair of counter-rotating cross augers, rather
than the draper belts 140, to convey crop material laterally inward
toward the center feed belt 112.
[0019] The header 100 includes a rotating reel 120 with a plurality
of reel sections 121A, 121B, 121C, 121D which are each movably
supported by the header frame 102 and include corresponding tines
122A, 122B, 122C, 122D or the like to sweep crop material inwardly
toward the flexible cutter(s) 108 for cutting as the reel sections
121A, 121B, 121C, 121D rotate. As shown, the reel 120 includes four
independently movable reel sections 121A, 121B, 121C, and 121D,
with two reel sections on each side of a center line C extending
through the header 100, but it should be appreciated that the reel
120 may include any number of desired reel sections so long as the
number of reel sections is greater than one. Each reel section
121A, 121B, 121C, 121D defines a respective reel section width SWA,
SWB, SWC, SWD, the significance of which will be described further
herein. One or more of the reel section widths SWA, SWB, SWC, SWD
may be different from the others, as shown, or the widths may all
be equal if desired. In some exemplary embodiments, the reel
section 121A may be connected to the reel section 121B and the reel
section 121C may be connected to the reel section 121D, with the
reel section 121A being flexibly movable relative to the reel
section 121B and the reel section 121C being flexibly movable
relative to the reel section 121D so the reel sections 121A, 121B,
121C, 121D can move independently from one another.
[0020] With further reference to FIG. 1, and referring now to FIG.
2 as well, the header 100 includes one or more rigid links 200A,
200B, 200C, 200D connecting the flexible cutter 108 to a respective
one of the reel sections 121A, 121B, 121C, 121D. As used herein,
the links 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D are "rigid" in the sense that
forces acting on the links 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D will tend to be
transmitted through the links 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D to the
connected components, such as one of the reel sections 121A and the
flexible cutter 108 as shown in FIG. 2, rather than the acting
forces tending to deform the material of the link 200A. In this
sense, each link 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D can be formed as a unitary
body from a relatively rigid material, such as steel or other
metals, which resists bending when subjected to forces that may be
encountered during harvesting; the rigid links 200A, 200B, 200C,
200D may be formed, for example, by casting steel into the desired
shape. The significance of the rigidity of the links 200A, 200B,
200C, 200D is described further herein.
[0021] Referring specifically now to FIG. 2, an exemplary
embodiment of one of the rigid links 200A is shown connecting the
reel section 121A to the flexible cutter 108; it should be
appreciated that, in one exemplary embodiment, the other rigid
links 200B, 200C, 200D can be formed similarly to the rigid link
200A according to the present invention. As can be seen, the rigid
link 200A can include a reel arm portion 201 which connects to the
one reel section 121A and a cutter arm portion 202 which connects
to the flexible cutter 108; while both the reel arm portion 201 and
cutter arm portion 202 are shown as having a substantially straight
shape, one or both of the respective portions 201, 202 may also be
curved, if desired. The reel arm portion 201 and the cutter arm
portion 202 can be connected to one another by a connecting portion
203 which, as shown, may have a curved shape; in one exemplary
embodiment, the connecting portion 203 may curve rearwardly from
the cutter arm portion 202 to the reel arm portion 201. The reel
arm portion 201 may connect, for example, to a hub 223 of the reel
section 121A which is connected to a rim 224 of the reel section
121A by a plurality of spokes 225, the rim 224 of the reel section
224 defining a lateral end of the reel section 121A, so movement of
the reel arm portion 201 causes a corresponding movement of the
reel section 121A. Similarly, the cutter arm portion 202 may
connect to the flexible cutter 108, which may be a cutter bar, so
flexure of the cutter bar 108 causes a corresponding movement of
the reel section 121A, or vice versa.
[0022] With further reference to FIG. 2, and now also referring to
FIG. 3, the effect of the link 200A being rigid is illustrated.
Since the cutter bar 108 is flexible in response to certain flexing
forces acting on the cutter bar 108, which are generally vertically
directed forces, the cutter bar 108 has a substantially unflexed
state, shown in FIG. 2, when the cutter bar 108 does not have any
significant vertical forces other than gravity acting on the cutter
bar 108. As can be seen, when a flexing force, illustrated as arrow
FF in FIG. 3, acts on the flexible cutter bar 108 and causes
flexure of the cutter bar 108, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutter bar
108 tends to flex in the direction of the flexing force FF. If the
reel section 121A were to stay in the same position (illustrated in
dashed lines in FIG. 3) when the cutter bar 108 flexed, the tines
122A of the reel section 121A would be placed in reach of the
cutting edges 110 and possibly clipped off the reel section 121A.
Due to the rigidity of the link 200A, however, the flexing force FF
acting on the flexible cutter 108 transmits to the connected reel
section 121A to also cause a corresponding movement of the reel
section 121A, maintaining a substantially constant separation S
between the flexible cutter 108 and the connected reel section
121A. In this sense, the rigid link 200A is configured to transmit
flexing forces FF acting on the flexible cutter 108 to the
connected one reel section 121A such that the substantially
constant separation S is maintained between the flexible cutter 108
and the connected one reel section 121A. The flexing forces FF
acting on the flexible cutter 108 may originate from the rigid link
200A or, alternatively, the flexing forces FF acting on the
flexible cutter 108 may originate from the ground or other source.
As used herein, the separation S is "substantially constant" in the
sense that the distance between the flexible cutter 108 and any
part of the reel section 121A, such as the hub 223, may only change
by 1-5% due to slight deformation of the material of the rigid link
200A when the flexing force FF transmits through the rigid link
200A; however, in some exemplary embodiments the separation S
between the flexible cutter 108 and the reel section 121A may not
appreciably change due to the link 200A being so rigid that the
material does not appreciably deform as the flexing force FF
transmits through the rigid link 200A. The separation S between the
flexible cutter 108 and the connected reel section 121A may be
controlled, for example, by a length and shape of the connecting
portion 203 of the rigid link 200A and/or by the respective lengths
and angling of the reel arm portion 201 and cutter arm portion 202
relative to the connecting portion 203.
[0023] Since the flexing force FF transmits through the rigid link
200A to the reel section 121A, the corresponding movement of the
reel section 121A should be almost instantaneous in response to the
flexing force FF acting on the flexible cutter 108, allowing the
tines 122A to be quickly taken out of the area where the cutting
elements 110 are and which may allow the reel section 121A to be
placed close to the flexible cutter 108 to improve reel performance
without significantly increasing the risk of the flexible cutter
108 clipping off any tines 122A when the flexible cutter 108 flexes
due to the flexing forces FF. Connecting the rigid link 200A to
both the reel section 121A and the flexible cutter 108, therefore,
can allow the reel section 121A to near-instantaneously move
reactively to flexing forces FF which cause flexure of the flexible
cutter 108 using a relatively simple construction and protect the
tines 122A during flexure of the flexible cutter 108 when the tines
122A are in the top of the flex range when the flexible cutter 108
is unflexed.
[0024] To transmit the flexing forces FF through the rigid link
200A, the rigid link 200A can be pivotably coupled to the header
frame 102 so the flexing forces FF cause pivoting of the rigid link
200A, as can be seen from comparing FIGS. 2 and 3, to move the reel
section 121A responsively to flexure of the flexible cutter 108. As
shown in FIG. 2, the rigid link 200A can define and pivot about a
pivot axis PA, which may be a pivot pin, which is located
rearwardly of the draper belt 140. Having the pivot axis PA behind
the draper belt 140 in combination with the curved shape of the
connecting portion 203 can allow the rigid link 200A to pivot and
transmit the flexing forces FF without interfering with other
components of the header 100, such as the draper belt 140, since
the vertical movement of the cutter arm portion 202 may be less
adjacent to the pivot axis PA than adjacent to the flexible cutter
108. To allow fore, aft, up, and down movements of the reel section
121A, the rigid link 200A may be pivotably connected to, for
example, a portion of the header frame 102 connected to one or more
actuators (not shown) which effect fore, aft, up, and/or down
movements of the reel section 121A, with fore, aft, up, and/or down
movement of the connected portion of the header frame 102 and rigid
link 200A causing a corresponding movement of the connected reel
section 121A.
[0025] Referring again to FIG. 1, one of the links 200A (which may
be referred to as a first rigid link) connecting one of the reel
sections 121A (which may be referred to as a first reel section) to
the flexible cutter 108 and another of the links 200B (which may be
referred to as a second rigid link) connecting another of the reel
sections 121B (which may be referred to as a second reel section)
to the flexible cutter 108 may define a link separation distance SD
therebetween which is at least equal to the reel width SWA of the
first reel section 121A. Separating the adjacent links 200A, 200B
by at least the link separation distance SD equal to the reel width
SWA of the first reel section 121A can allow movement of each of
the reel sections 121A and 121B by the rigid links 200A, 200B to be
independent from each other without the rigid links 200A, 200B
interfering with movement of the non-connected reel section 121B,
121A. The other rigid links 121C, 121D can be similarly separated
by a distance at least equal to, for example, the reel width SWC of
the reel section 121C, for similar reasons.
[0026] It should be appreciated from the foregoing that exemplary
embodiments of the present invention not only provide for
near-instantaneous adjustment of the reel 120 responsively to
flexing forces FF acting on the flexible cutter 108, but can also
allow adjustment of the reel 120 to only occur in the respective
reel section 121A, 121B, 121C, 121D adjacent to where the flexing
of the flexible cutter 108 occurs. Exemplary embodiments of the
present invention, therefore, can provide a header 100 with a reel
120 which can be close to the flexible cutter 108 with a relatively
low risk of tines 122A, 122B, 122C, 122D being clipped off by the
flexible cutter 108 and with reel sections 121A, 121B, 121C, 121D
which only adjust responsively to flexing forces FF transmitting
through a respectively connected rigid link 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D
so adjustment of the reel 120 may not occur across the entire reel
120 when only a portion of the flexible cutter 108 flexes.
[0027] These and other advantages of the present invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing
specification. Accordingly, it is to be recognized by those skilled
in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the
above-described embodiments without departing from the broad
inventive concepts of the invention. It is to be understood that
this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments
described herein, but is intended to include all changes and
modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the
invention.
* * * * *